The invention herein pertains to a scent dispenser for luring deer or the like and in particular pertains to a scent dispenser which utilizes microcontroller circuitry for selective operation of a fan which forces air past a contained, conventional scent-producing material for scent distribution into the surrounding atmosphere.
Various mechanical and electrical scent-dispensing devices have been used in the past by hunters, photographers and others to attract deer and other game. These devices are generally suspended from tree limbs or are otherwise advantageously positioned for the best results. Certain of the prior art devices are large and bulky, requiring special care during handling and transportation. Other electrical prior art devices must be turned on manually while hunting and thereafter turned off to terminate power consumption to prevent battery depletion. Other known prior art devices are mechanical in nature and continually dispense a scent until removed or the scent is exhausted. Certain of the more recent scent dispensers have complex electrical circuitry and are expensive to manufacture and are difficult to operate.
Thus, with the problems and disadvantages of traditional scent dispensers, the present invention was conceived and one of its objectives is to provide a microcontrolled scent dispenser and method which allows a variety of operational modes, depending on the particular needs of the user.
It is another objective of the present invention to provide a scent dispenser which includes a programmed microcontroller which provides precise cycles of operation.
It is yet another objective of the present invention to provide a scent dispenser which allows a variety of scent-producing materials to be easily loaded and replaced.
It still another objective of the present invention to provide a scent dispenser which can be conveniently carried on a person due to its compact cylindrical shape.
It is a further objective of the present invention to provide a scent dispenser which includes electrical circuitry for selective operation in either continuous, cyclic, or cyclic daylight operation.
It is also an objective of the present invention to provide a scent dispenser which has an impact and weather resistant housing which shields the operating components from inclement weather while allowing sufficient airflow for proper operation of the internal electric fan.
It is yet still another objective of the present invention to provide a scent dispensing device having a potentiometer which can be manually adjusted to control the fan run time during cyclic operations.
It is also an objective of the present invention to provide a scent dispenser which can utilize a variety of scent producing materials and which has a control panel mounted on the housing for easy visibility and operation by the use of flashing LEDs.
Various other objectives and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art as a more detailed description is set forth below.
The aforesaid and other objectives are realized by providing a scent dispenser housing having a generally cylindrical shape. The housing has a larger diameter upper cylinder or cap which is rotatably removable and which includes a control panel. An air channel is defined between it and the lower, smaller diameter cylinder or body for incoming fresh air. Mounted in the cap is a logic board with a microcontroller which manages the scent operation. The housing lower body contains a battery assembly and a fan. A scent receptacle resides in the lower body which can be easily removed for loading or replacing scented materials.
The method of using the scent dispenser includes manually depressing a select switch from the control panel which illuminates, in advancing fashion, a series of LEDs which indicate particular modes of operation, such as xe2x80x9coffxe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9ccontinuousxe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9ccyclicxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cdaylightxe2x80x9d operation. By successively pressing the select switch, illumination of the LEDs for the various modes advances. A potentiometer connected to the circuit board can be manually adjusted to vary the run time of the fan. Ambient light is sampled once per minute by the photocell which directs the microcontroller to activate the fan, depending of the level of light received and the mode selected.